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The elderly are a special group because time has taken its toll on almost all the major organs of the human body, i.e., there may be a decrease in function on quite a few organs. The elderly are also more likely to have concomitant diseases, which necessitate more drugs, making this group of patients more likely to develop drug-drug interactions.

It’s rare to see gray-haired exercisers in the gym. The majority of people who lift weights are young. Yet, according to several studies, it is people who are over fifty years old that need to lift weights the most.

Question: “Is virgin coconut oil good for diabetics? Is it true that it can also prevent diabetes?”

Answer: Dietary supplements abound in the market today, many of them being promoted as a cure-all, a magic potion that can prevent and even treat many diseases. Unfortunately, many of these claims are based on anecdotal reports and testimonials, a few backed up by studies using animal subjects and even a much smaller number with actual human studies with small number of subjects. The regulation of these supplements is a tricky matter since these substances often only need to be registered but not necessarily approved before being marketed. That is why these supplements need to carry that important label “NO THERAPEUTIC CLAIMS”. Exactly because they did not undergo strict scrutiny for effectiveness and safety, THEY ARE NOT DRUGS AND SHOULD NOT REPLACE DRUGS. They may have certain uses and benefits, again not fully proven, and thus, they can only supplement.

Answer: Although we cannot deny that a lot of our modern medicines today came from plant extracts (like penicillin, digoxin, etc); it is very important to understand how much research it takes before a particular medicine can be recommended to have beneficial effects for people. Before any medicine or supplement can be recommended for treating diabetes, it should be tested several times in the laboratory, and in trials involving both healthy and sick subjects. The substance’s effects, safety, tolerability and toxicity are compared to “placebo” (ordinary coated sugar pill) as well as to medicines that are already approved for use against diabetes. So far, ampalaya supplements available in the market have not been studied extensively to demonstrate their efficacy and safety.

I have traveled thrice to the neighboring country of Malaysia, a land that I have truly grown to admire. To many Westerners, Malaysia has historically represented the exotic and the enigmatic. Yet Malaysia is also a country that is vigorously aiming to become a fully developed nation by the year 2020, and no other city could more finely illustrate the country’s prosperous and industrious future than the administrative capital of Putrajaya.

Prague, or Praha to locals, is a city one can easily fall in love with. Here for a symposium on combination antihypertensive therapy, our group of cardiologists readily made this conclusion after staying in this European capital for less than 72 hours. Evidently, Prague still managed to create an impact that would surely last for a long time.

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity of meeting a long lost friend. He is already in his mid-40s.”I am now married,” he told me. “I have two children and one is going to graduate next year. I feel very old now.” On the contrary, my father is in his late 60s now. But he never considers himself old.”‘ am still young” he said.”It’s as if only yesterday that I married your mother and you came along.”

With the development of its first food guideline, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) warned patients from subscribing to extreme fad diets, reiterating the fact that there’s no “one size fits all” approach in meal planning, especially among diabetics.

Popular breakfast cereals in colorful boxes with jolly cartoon characters should rather stay in kitchen shelves. According to a recent survey, kids’ favorite breakfast is not as healthy as its manufacturers claim to be.